


A Puppy Dog's Tale

by roe87



Series: Steve/Bucky modern au's [13]
Category: Captain America (Comics), Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Bucky Barnes's Hair, Cute, Dogs, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, First Meetings, Flirting, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Meet-Cute, Scarves, Winter, long haired bucky, meet awkward
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:27:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21684478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roe87/pseuds/roe87
Summary: Bucky finds a lost puppy running around in the park, but who does the pup belong to?
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Series: Steve/Bucky modern au's [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1350943
Comments: 19
Kudos: 323





	A Puppy Dog's Tale

**Author's Note:**

  * For [doomcheese](https://archiveofourown.org/users/doomcheese/gifts).



> Happy Birthday Doomcheese! Hope you like it. ❤ from me and Blu! 
> 
> ~~

Bucky wiped the mist off the window and looked outside.

For a hot second he thought it'd snowed, but it was just the frost coating everything in a layer of sparkling white.

It'd melt away soon in the morning sun, and Bucky didn't want to waste it. He bolted around his apartment getting ready, pulling on all his warmest, snuggliest clothes, topped off with a thick coat and his scarf and hat.

The best part about getting up early on the weekend, he thought as he stepped out onto the street, was avoiding other people.

Bucky walked the few blocks to the park, enjoying the relative peace and quiet of the city streets. There was still traffic and the occasional car horn, but not as much as it would be later.

At the entrance to the park, Bucky bought himself a hot chocolate at the food cart. He cradled the cup in his hands as he walked into the park, the frost still sparkling on the grass and tree branches.

Hardly anyone was here. Bliss. Just a couple dog walkers further away, and that was it.

Bucky ambled around along pathway for a bit until he found a bench to sit on. This bench was his favorite: secluded, hidden behind shrubbery and trees. Hardly anyone came this way.

"Perfect," Bucky murmured, his breath puffing out misty in the cold air. He sipped his hot chocolate as the winter sun peeped out from behind clouds above him. Bucky turned his face up to the sun and basked in it.

Just wonderful. In a moment he'd get out his phone and fiddle about on his apps, but for now he was more than content.

He was about to take his second sip of hot chocolate when the bush to his right rustled ominously.

Bucky stilled, watching the bush.

Sure enough, a dog came bounding out the bush, tongue lolling out its mouth and ears flapping as it ran straight to Bucky.

"Um," Bucky said, glancing about for a human owner.

No one in sight. Great.

"No, doggy," Bucky said, switching his cup to his right hand and using his left prosthetic one to fend off the dog.

It seemed young, like a puppy. Thankfully not that big, as the pup tried to jump his leg the second it got close enough.

"No," Bucky said gently. He didn't feel threatened, the pup was small and seemed friendly, but Bucky didn't want drool on him either.

He sighed. "Where's your human, huh?"

The dog wasn't wearing anything, not a leash or a collar. Bucky didn't have one on him, but he supposed in a pinch he could call Clint and ask him to bring one of Lucky's leashes down to the park.

But Clint never woke up before midday at the weekends, and that was hours away.

Still no sign of a human owner. Bucky looked around. "Hello?" he called, expecting someone to appear. "Whose dog is this?"

Well, no one was there. Wasn't this perfect.

Bucky huffed to himself and tried to think what he could use to hold onto a dog to stop it running off. His scarf? His scarf and his belt, perhaps. "Can't believe I'm doing this," he muttered, getting to his feet.

The pup seemed excited, bouncing side to side on the ground.

"Yeah, yeah," Bucky told him. He seemed like a him, Bucky had a hunch. "Hold on, would ya?" He set his hot chocolate precariously onto the armrest of the bench, then got to work undoing his belt buckle. "You're lucky this isn't my cute shit," he said to the dog, who let off a soft bark in response.

Bucky used his belt and his scarf to fashion a sort of collar and leash combo, and then he had to try get it onto this wayward puppy. He crouched down, but that seemed like a dog coded invitation for the pup to leap up and kiss his face, and Bucky spluttered in response.

"Bleh!" he exclaimed, and also knocked his elbow backwards which sent his hot chocolate flying to the ground. "Oh, no!" he wailed, watching the cup sploosh its contents all over the path. "Crap." Bucky wiped his face on his sleeve and frowned at the dog.

Maybe sensing his mood, the pup stopped bouncing around and tilted his head down, looking sorry for himself.

Bucky sighed again. "You're lucky you're cute, pal," he said, and set about getting his belt around the pup's neck. "Oh, wait, this is way too big," Bucky muttered, as the pup wriggled closer for a cuddle. "Um... oh, I know." He went to wrap the belt around the pup's middle instead, sort of like a harness. "There!" he said, as the pup licked his face again. "Stop with the kissing! Please." Bucky stood up, leaving the pup on the ground as he looked up with a tilted head and whined softly.

The makeshift harness slid off the dog's body and onto the ground. Bucky frowned with displeasure.

"Um," he said, watching the pup wag his tail. "Maybe... forget the leash. Let's sit on the bench."

Bucky sat down, and he patted the bench beside him.

At first the pup just looked at him, so Bucky encouraged him with baby talk while patting his lap. "Come on, boy! Here's a good boy! Come on, doggie! Up you come!"

The pup understood and scrabbled to get up on the bench. Bucky helped him, and amazingly the pup sat close to him, cuddling in for warmth.

"Aw, are you cold." Bucky leaned down and grabbed his scarf from the ground, and wrapped it around the pup. "There. So fashionable."

The pup looked at him, seeming happy. Bucky smiled and scritched the top of his head. The dog tilted his head into Bucky's hand, eyes closing with happiness.

"Aw," Bucky said, tickling him some more. "What am I gonna do if I can't find your owner, huh?"

They sat on the bench together, and despite the fact Bucky was missing his scarf, his belt, and his hot chocolate, it wasn't so bad.

He kept glancing around the park, expecting to see someone running around looking for a dog. If no one showed up soon, Bucky would have to... do something. What, he wasn't sure.

"Any second now," Bucky murmured, scanning the park. "Maybe I should whistle?" He put his lips together and blew a pathetic attempt. "Oh, I forgot. I can't whistle."

The pup looked up at him inquisitively.

"Yeah, it's true," Bucky told him. "Never could do it." He sighed dramatically. "Probably never will."

They sat in quiet a while longer, then the pup's ears pricked up as he turned to look at the park.

Bucky looked too, but he didn't see anything. He _thought_ he heard something though, someone calling, perhaps. Unless it was just traffic noises.

"Hello?" Bucky called back, feeling a bit silly.

The call came again, this time with a whistle. A very good whistle, Bucky thought. Sounded a lot like someone calling a dog.

Bucky looked down at the pup, who was snuggled up beside him and still wearing his scarf. If this dog took off now, Bucky thought, he'll never see that scarf again.

But the dog didn't move a muscle, only listened with his ears pricked.

Bucky didn't have much choice, so he waited. The calling got closer, a man's voice, Bucky was guessing. Sounded nice too, a very jovial, "Here, boy!" Whistles followed the call, then another, "Here, boy!"

Eventually the owner of the voice came around the shrubbery, walking into view. It was a tall, built guy dressed in track pants and a long sleeve top.

Maybe a jogger, then.

And for all Bucky knew, he'd lost another jogger, not a dog.

But once he spotted them, jogger guy made his way over. Bucky noted that the pup's tail started wagging, and as the guy approached the pup bounded down from the bench to go to him.

"Hey!" he said, bending down to greet what clearly seemed like his dog. "Oh, you have an accessory?" He looked up at Bucky, and he was actually very handsome.

Bucky smiled, because he liked handsome men very much. "It's cold," he pointed out. "Also, I tried to make a leash, but it didn't work."

"Uh, yeah." Handsome jogger held up a small harness and leash in his hand. "Little devil slipped free and ran off. Our first trip to the park, and he gives me a damn heart attack."

"Aw," Bucky said, his smile turning into a grin. "What's his name?"

"Horatio," he replied. "Though I may have to rethink that because he certainly doesn't come to it when I call."

Bucky smothered a laugh. "Maybe it's just too cold for little puppers to be walking around?"

"Yeah, maybe." Handsome jogger smiled at him. "I'm Steve."

"Bucky."

"Well, Bucky, let me just get your scarf..." Steve tried unwrapping the material off Horatio as he wriggled around. "Stay still, you."

"He seems to like the bench," Bucky suggested. "He sat next to me just fine."

"Oh, yeah?" Steve smirked a little, then picked Horatio up. "My dog has good taste."

"In what, benches?" Bucky quipped, as Steve sat down next to him.

Steve laughed, and he looked even more handsome. "Yeah, sure. People, too."

"I won't argue with that," Bucky said, surprised how smooth he was being. "By the way, he decimated my full cup of hot chocolate." He indicated the ground where the mess still lay, and Steve glanced at it.

"Uh oh," he said, then looked back to Bucky with a smile. "Guess I owe you another one? Or a coffee? There's a coffee shop just down the block."

Bucky smiled back. "Coffee would be great."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> You can view the beautiful art for this fic created by Blu on tumblr in the [rebloggable post](https://novemblu.tumblr.com/post/189509819295/in-collaboration-with-jro616-i-present-a-gift).


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